Inquiring into "Traditional" Orthodoxy

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JamesR
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Re: Inquiring into "Traditional" Orthodoxy

Post by JamesR »

Barbara wrote:

Aha ! So you are within easy reach [by bus even if parents will not give you the car !]
of our RTOC St John of San Francisco parish !

There are Vigils and LIturgies only one weekend a month.
Fr Oleg Gritsenko was here for Annunciation / Sunday of The Cross
so probably not til Pascha [Russian Easter as in Rimsky-Korsakov's famous Russian Easter Overture ]
will a priest be back again.

It's A VERY NICE community. Even a famous Professor attends once in awhile [though not actually a member but is well
known as an authority on Soviet Union and Russian history].

There was a young man there last weekend, so there ARE youth, though most are understandably older parishioners because
they came from the Russian emigration which KNEW not to get involved with the MP, any way, any how.

But if you start attending, then mysteriously, it will cause more youth to show !

How would I be received? Would I have to be Baptized & Chrismated all over again? Or could I be received via Confession like the OCA does with the Oriental Orthodox?

"'Blessed are the peacemakers' For those are peacemakers in themselves who, in conquering and subjecting to reason all the motions of their souls and having their carnal desires tamed, have become in themselves a Kingdom of God."-St. Augustine of Hippo (Confessions)

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Maria
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Re: Inquiring into "Traditional" Orthodoxy

Post by Maria »

JamesR wrote:
Barbara wrote:

Aha ! So you are within easy reach [by bus even if parents will not give you the car !]
of our RTOC St John of San Francisco parish !

There are Vigils and LIturgies only one weekend a month.
Fr Oleg Gritsenko was here for Annunciation / Sunday of The Cross
so probably not til Pascha [Russian Easter as in Rimsky-Korsakov's famous Russian Easter Overture ]
will a priest be back again.

It's A VERY NICE community. Even a famous Professor attends once in awhile [though not actually a member but is well
known as an authority on Soviet Union and Russian history].

There was a young man there last weekend, so there ARE youth, though most are understandably older parishioners because
they came from the Russian emigration which KNEW not to get involved with the MP, any way, any how.

But if you start attending, then mysteriously, it will cause more youth to show !

How would I be received? Would I have to be Baptized & Chrismated all over again? Or could I be received via Confession like the OCA does with the Oriental Orthodox?

The right attitude is:

Do you want to be united to the True Orthodox Christian faith?

Right now, in the OCA, you are united with hierarchs who are ecumenists.
Do you wish to continue with the OCA, or are you being attracted to the True Faith?

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

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Barbara
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Re: Inquiring into "Traditional" Orthodoxy

Post by Barbara »

James, if the answer to Maria's questions are a general Yes [ as far as you are aware at this juncture - no one expects you
to understand all the details yet - it takes awhile ],
then perhaps you could write to Bishop Stefan who is extremely kindly AND good AND sticks to the rules carefully
and ask him ? Bp Stefan [Sabelnik] is in charge of the US RTOC parishes.

We can furnish the Bishop's contact information easily. He would be glad to hear of someone enterprising like you starting on this
journey to True Orthodoxy.

My advice : get out of the OCA by sundown ! It's lethal to breathe the air there.
And if you want to try a really AUTHENTIC Traditional True Orthodox Church, then St John of SF is waiting for you !

Last edited by Barbara on Thu 11 April 2013 11:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JamesR
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Re: Inquiring into "Traditional" Orthodoxy

Post by JamesR »

Maria wrote:
JamesR wrote:
Barbara wrote:

Aha ! So you are within easy reach [by bus even if parents will not give you the car !]
of our RTOC St John of San Francisco parish !

There are Vigils and LIturgies only one weekend a month.
Fr Oleg Gritsenko was here for Annunciation / Sunday of The Cross
so probably not til Pascha [Russian Easter as in Rimsky-Korsakov's famous Russian Easter Overture ]
will a priest be back again.

It's A VERY NICE community. Even a famous Professor attends once in awhile [though not actually a member but is well
known as an authority on Soviet Union and Russian history].

There was a young man there last weekend, so there ARE youth, though most are understandably older parishioners because
they came from the Russian emigration which KNEW not to get involved with the MP, any way, any how.

But if you start attending, then mysteriously, it will cause more youth to show !

How would I be received? Would I have to be Baptized & Chrismated all over again? Or could I be received via Confession like the OCA does with the Oriental Orthodox?

The right attitude is:

Do you want to be united to the True Orthodox Christian faith?

Right now, in the OCA, you are united with hierarchs who are ecumenists.
Do you wish to continue with the OCA, or are you being attracted to the True Faith?

The True Fatih is more attracting, but, I guess, I still just got cold feet about making the leap. I'm scared and I don't know why. I guess the thought of leaving the huge WO body for the tiiiiny TO body is frightening to me.

"'Blessed are the peacemakers' For those are peacemakers in themselves who, in conquering and subjecting to reason all the motions of their souls and having their carnal desires tamed, have become in themselves a Kingdom of God."-St. Augustine of Hippo (Confessions)

JamesR
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Posts: 123
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Location: NorCal

Re: Inquiring into "Traditional" Orthodoxy

Post by JamesR »

Barbara wrote:

James, if the answer to Maria's questions are a general Yes,
then perhaps you could write to Bishop Stefan who is extremely kindly AND good AND sticks to the rules carefully
and ask him ? Bp Stefan [Sabelnik] is in charge of the US RTOC parishes.

We can get his contact information easily. He would be glad to hear of someone enterprising like you starting on this
journey to True Orthodoxy.

My advice : get out of the OCA by sundown ! It's lethal to breathe the air there =

I'd love to at least talk to Bishop Stefan via email if it is not a hassle. Maybe he can answer some of my questions.

"'Blessed are the peacemakers' For those are peacemakers in themselves who, in conquering and subjecting to reason all the motions of their souls and having their carnal desires tamed, have become in themselves a Kingdom of God."-St. Augustine of Hippo (Confessions)

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Barbara
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Re: Inquiring into "Traditional" Orthodoxy

Post by Barbara »

[I added a little more on my post !] You're pretty quick on the draw -

Yes I think he could help you. If not he, then his brother, Deacon Vitaly [Sabelnik] would be a first place to start.
He is elderly, lives in San Francisco proper, very kind too. But uncompromising about these points. A good combination.

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m. Evfrosinia
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Re: Inquiring into "Traditional" Orthodoxy

Post by m. Evfrosinia »

I don't think that True Orthodoxy is as small as it might seem at first glance. True Orthodox groups don't get the money, or the media coverage, nor do they have the political clout of World Orthodoxy. As was pointed out above, we have made a conscious choice not to follow the ways of the world. We recognize that to a great extent we live in a post-Christian society, with no place for True Orthodoxy. Unlike World Orthodoxy, we don't think that we can influence today's world, and we don't strive to conform and be a part of it. Consequently, even in places where we are not actively persecuted, we are mocked and slandered, or, at best, ignored.
But all over the world there are communities of Orthodox Christians struggling to practice and to preserve Traditional Orthodoxy, as the Holy Fathers teach it. Just in answer to your query you were given the addresses of a monastery and 2 parish communities within traveling distance from where you live. While there are some "extreme" extremists within True Orthodox groups that might insist that their particular small group is all that remains of the Orthodox Church, most of us see True Orthodoxy as a larger, loose federation of small groups, that might not belong to one jurisdiction, and might not be formally in communion, but are nevertheless striving for the same thing.
Neither is World Orthodoxy as large, united and monolithic as might seem at first. Scratch a little below the surface, and you'll find plenty of factions and divisions, and power struggles, such as the one between the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Moscow. I feel that the idea of one large, united Orthodox Church that World Orthodoxy now so actively pushes is to a great extent a myth. Throughout history, more often than not, the Church was small and divided. As was also pointed out above, it's not about numbers. "Fear not, little flock", our Lord said, and He foretold that those that seek the Truth would be misunderstood and persecuted. And "Will I find faith when I return to the earth?" He asked.
You also have to realize that we're not involved in some competition or "popularity contest" with World Orthodoxy, either before the eyes of God or the world, as to who is "bigger", "better", etc. I think that in this day and age it is probably providential and ultimately better for us to be a series of loosely connected small groups, then a large, monolithic body. This will make it easier for us to survive when real persecution comes. We strive, in the words of St. Philaret, to "hold fast to what we have", to hold on to the Pearl of Great Price that we have been entrusted with.

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